I love a freebie (who doesn’t) and I have another one for you today, still exploring my obsession with zipper pouches of all sizes and shapes. I have a thing for round things too for some reason so it seemed the obvious thing to do was to marry the two together.

So This is what I have come up with! Another super useful pouch and one which stumps a few people I am told. Well there are some small tricks which may not be immediately obvious but we can sort them out.

I love this canvas fabric too. In the Buy My Patterns section of the menu, you can see the San Sebastian Tote that I made with the same fabric. It is a larger make and it really shows off the pattern. It just never gets old!

Round things can make new sewists worried too but actually it can be easier than sewing long straight lines. This is a great project to practise both.

Oh and can I let you in on the tiniest of secrets? This pouch uses the same principles as the Maryland Classic Retro Knitting Bag so you can sneakily use it as a help out tute – I promise that I won’t tell anyone.

Anyway, lets get started on this one. You don’t need very much at all to make it and it can be another good use for scraps or QAYG – once you see what you are doing, the possibilities are endless.

So what do we need….
Fabric:

• FQ of some delicious canvas or lightweight furnishing fabric
• FQ coordinating lining
• Style-vil foam interfacing by Vlieseline
• 7″ metal zipper to match
• something to decorate the zipper pull. My choice is a thin piece of leather. You can also use ribbon or vegan leather.
• matching thread
• fabric glue
• your usual sewing needs

This is a cut and measure pattern so no worries about printing off templates.

Cutting:
The canvas:

• 2 pieces 5 1/4″ wide x 9″ long for the main outers
• 2 round pieces 3 1/2″  diameter for the ends*
• 2 pieces 1 1/2″ sq. for the zipper end tabs

*I have not put in a template for the round ends. What I did was to have a look around the house for something round of the correct diameter. Then I simply traced around it. I found a drinking glass of the right size.

The lining:

• 2 pieces 5 1/4″ wide x 9″ long for the main lining
• 2 round pieces 3 1/2″ diameter for the ends
• 2 pieces 1 1/2″ sq. for the zipper end tabs
• 22″ bias binding for the raw inside seams

There are no cutting notes for the foam interfacing. I will show you how to deal with that as we go along.

Let’s begin by prepping the zipper. We need to add some tabs to the ends and to be honest, I just glue these on because the close stitching surrounding them will keep them beautifully secure.

Take the outer tabs and the lining ones and turn one end over by 1/4″. Just finger press to get the edge to stay folded over.

Now take one of each and glue them wrong sides together to one end of the zipper (the lining one on the underside of course). The tabs are wider than you need them to be at this stage. This is not a mistake, it is just easier to handle like this and you get a better end result.

Repeat for the other end and then trim so that they are 1″ long each and the same width as the zipper tape.

Next step is to prepare the sides. Take a piece of outer and a slightly larger piece of foam interfacing and attach the outer with a very narrow basting seam. By making the basting seam very narrow (about 1/8″), you can hide it inside the seam allowance when you sew up the pouch.

Now trim the foam back . The interfacing (like a good bra) is essential for giving great shape to the finished article. Never skip this step! The great news is that as you become more proficient at this, you will be able to use scraps.

And repeat for the other piece so that you have two pieces like this

Do the same on the ends for the round bits

Okay, we have the beginnings of a pouch! If you have a label that you like to use, you can add it now to one of the side pieces.

Next take the prepped zipper and one outer plus one lining and pin or clip them right sides together to make a sandwich. Using the zipper foot for your machine, sew right along

Now flip the layers the right way out and topstitch along the zipper. I have done this twice because it seemed right but once looks great too.

Repeat for the other side so that you have something that looks like this now. As you can see, the tab ends on the zipper integrate beautifully into the main panels and no stitching on them is needed. They cannot go anywhere.

Some of patterns for these round pouches happen all in one piece but that makes it impossible to topstitch along the zipper. I like to do this because it stops the lining from coming up and being caught in the zipper teeth. Also, if you have a one way pattern, you can make it run the right way around the bag by reversing one of the panels. If you make it all in one piece, one side of the bag has to be upside down.

Next sew the outer together at the base. Just pin or clip the right sides together and sew right along leaving no gaps.

And sew the lining base seam too the same way and turn the right way out. I think that we will mostly agree that this looks like a bit of a puzzle!? Actually it is really easy. Simply ignore the lining. Actually pretend that it is not there at all. Reach in and pull the outer the right way out and the lining will follow. Magic!

I have hand basted the layers together on the ends to achieve a bit of stability. Actually be prepared to turn the wrong way out again and increase the seam allowance on the lining to make it smaller. This happens sometimes and is not something that you have done wrong. Different weights and thicknesses of fabric and seam allowances will affect it and it is normal to have to custom fit it.

The ends come next! Take an interfaced outer disc and a piece of lining and clip them wrong sides together. Baste to keep the lining in place. Repeat for the other one

Turn the pouch inside out AND OPEN THE ZIPPER! Trust me, I have unpicked a few pouches because I forgot that and then couldn’t open the zip from inside!

If you are having trouble with the fit, make little snips all around on the straight bit (the pouch body). They are only tiny but they help a lot. They should not be larger that 1/8″ so that they can be hidden in the seam allowance.

Attach the ends and trim them. Clips are better than pins and if you don’t have any, hand baste the ends on instead. I actually like to use my zipper foot to put the ends on. It is not so clunky and I feel that it makes the job easier. Give it a whirl.

With your binding, bind the ends so that all of the nasty raw edges disappear forever. Hate nasty raw edges! I am using binding left over from another project but you could make some to match too.

Turn the right way out and decorate the zipper pull. Wowsers! Result!

You can make this cute pouch in any size at all. This is sort of a mid range one which isn’t too fiddly but you can make them bigger or smaller.

Thank you as always for coming to visit. Your support means the world to me. Don’t forget to subscribe with your email address and stay up to date when I post.

This blog contains some affiliate links to products similar to the ones that i have used in this pattern. If you click and buy, I earn a small commission (keeps the free stuff coming!).

Happy sewing!

Debbie xx